Middlings-purifier



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

, vIN VEN TUR'.

7 $22 Atarney Patented Oetf 14, 1884I MIDDLINGS PURIFIER.

RALPH WILGOX 8u RNSPORD WILCOX.

`(No Model.)

WI T NESSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. RALPH WILCOX 8v RANSFORD WILCOX.

(No Model.)

MIDDLINGS PURIFIER.

". ented 0013.14, 18184.

WITNESSES /zw @MW d NVENTORS may, W M

M Attorney N, FEYERS. PhaIo-Lilhognphnr, Wnshnginn. D. C

"bizarren Sterns Parisist @tric-ii@ RALPH VVILGOX AND RANSFORD 'WILCOQ OF UTICA, MICHIGAN.

iVllDDLlNGS-PURIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,567, dated October 14, 1884.

Application filed May 13, 1884.

To a/ZZ whom t indy concern.-

Be it known that we, RALPH WILcoX and RANsFoRD WILoOX, of Utica, county of Macomb, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Middlings-Purifiers; and we declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

Our invention consists of the combinations of devices and appliances, hereinafter speciiied, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figurel is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan View, and Fig. 3 a sectional view, of an apparatus illustrating our invention. Fig. et is a separate view of the feedinghopper mechanism. Fi g. 5 is a separate view of sieves.

In carrying out our invention, A A A! are successive grades of bolting-cloth.

a is a solid section beneath the hopper. a/ is a slat or crossepiece over which the mass :is caused to pass and so distribute it with substantial uniformity to the bolting-cloth. The succeeding slats a2 ai* we prefer to extend a short distance above the bolting-cloth, so as to permit the products upon the cloth to pass freely from one grade of cloth to another, the different grades being preferably sewed together along their meeting-edges.

B is the feeding-hopper. It may be the terminus of any suitable spouts or conveyers by which the materials are directed to the bolt ing-cloth.

C is a suitable frame-work for supporting the bolting-frame.

A3 representsilexible supports connected at their lower ends to the frame-C, and at their upper ends to the bolting-frame.

D is a shaft bearing an eccentric, D', which revolves within the yoke D2, thereby agitating the bolting-frame.

B represents openings.

B2 are valves governed by a suitable l1andie, B3, for regulating the rate of feed from the hopper onto the bolting-frame.

BL is a shaft bearing agitators B5, which in- 4supported in a step, H, at its base.

(No model.)

sure a steadyand uniform feed from the sew eral openings B.

E E E2 are hoppers or chutes, one of which is located beneath each of the different grades of boltingcloth to direct each separate grade into its proper purifying device beneath.

Ve will now proceed to describe one of said purifying devices, they being all similar in construction.

F is a chamber, which we prefer to be cylindrical. Within this chamber is a disk or drum, G, connected with an upright shaft, G. The shaft is provid( d with a driving-pulley at its top, and this in turn is geared to a pulley, GZ, on the countershaft G3. The shaft G/ is This step is supported upon a lever, H', so as to admit of adjustment up and down by means of an adj usting-screw, H2.

. I is a suction-fan located at the top of the chamber, adapted to draw air up through the same and discharge it into any suitable settling-chamber. (Not shown.) This fan is also fastened to the shaft G'.

J is a deflector, the object of which is to deliect the air that enters from below and cause it to ascend closely adjacent to the wall of the chamber.

K is a receiver'beneath the chamber for col- ;lecting the purified middlings, and from this receptacle the iniddlings may be removed; or they may be conveyed to any other locality by spouts, conveyers, or elevators.

The mass to be purified is fed through the hopper B and the openings B onto the solid portion a of the screen. The screen being agitated by the eccentric D, causes the mass to distribute With substantial uniformity over the slat'a and onto the bolting-cloth.- The grades are successively coarser in the sections A AAZ, the finer products passing through the meshes of the section A, a coarser product through the section A, and a still coarser through the section A2, these passing through with their corresponding impurities into the chutes or hoppers E E E beneath, passing IOO into a thin sheet by its centrifugal action, and throws it off from the drumtoward therwall of the case F. rIhe fan I creates a draft of air up through the chamber F. This air is deiiected to the side of the case by the deflector J, andis thus caused to act upon the middlings-alon g that portion4 w-herethe material is spread out to its thinnest consistency. rlhe particles here being most widely separated, the air can act upon it very freely, to separate the lighter impurities, permitting the middlingsto fall by their superior gravity into the receiver K beneath, while the vimpurities are drawninto the fan and blown out to anysuitable settling-chamber. Should the feed upon thedrum ,G be too rapid, or'not sufficiently rapid, the trouble may at once vbe yremedied.4 by,l adjusting; the drum either up or dow-nl by means of Y theadjusting-screw H2. It is thus lseen Lthat the suctionof the fan is not required to be so great as-to separate from the original,y mass all of its impurities, but eachffan is only requiredto operate uporrmiddlings of a certain grade, and its speed can be sofregulatedv as to effect a perfect separation from: this uniform grade of all impurities, without dangerof wasting the middlings themselves. Thezfansin the otherv chambers, F, and their-particular adjustments are all capable of regulatiomso as to suitithe proper grade-'in each chamber F.

It will be observed that the drum G isin the form-of a cylinder, so as to leaveaspace of substantially uniform dimensions, j', extending down to the bottom of the chamber" F. Theresult is` that the suction of thefanfcreates aruniform draftfrom the timethe draft enters at the baseuntil it is passed up vbeyond -the mass of falling middlings, thus insuring a :uniformaction upon the mass as it falls down through the draft. By this construction of middlings-purifler. we are enabled to recover from the original mass a considerable product of middlings, which, under the usual construction, is wasted. or. passed off with therefuse, andfthis isdue in a considerable meas-` ure .to the fact-that we do not-attempt to effect any separation of impurities until after the material has passed throughtheboltingcloths. We-are therefore enabled to work upon. each grade of middlings miXed'w-ithf a-.correspondingf grade of impurities, and the difference in` the-specific;gravity of. this uniformmiddlings `into space, a deflector arranged above said drum, and a suction-fan located above the drum, whereby a draft is produced in a direction contrary to that cfa-the,v falling middlings, thereby separating theimpurities,l substantially asfdescribed.

2. In a middlings-purier,aseries of graded boltingcloths adaptedto receive and separate into corresponding grades middlin gs and Vtheir correspondingimpurities, separatek chutes or hoppers for receiving the differentzgrades, separate purifyingchambers for eachi grade, a revolving drum in-eachfpurifying-chamber, and a fan located above each: drum, substantially. as described.

3.. Inamiddlings-puriiier, the chamber F, provided with a revolving disk for receiving the materials to be operated upon, a drum, G,

projecting` for some distance beneath therevolving.` disk, whereby the space throughv which the draft is caused tooperate upon the mass is lrendered substantially uniformfin. dimensions, a detlector, J, arranged above the drum, and asuction-fan located above the disk, substantially as described.

4. The combination, withthe feeding-hopperl having openings B', of valves B2, pivoted l uponthe hopper, and connected with ahandie, B3, ay shaft, B4, in the hopperv provided, with agitators B5, and the screen havingasolidA portion, a, and transverse slat a, substantially yas described.

In testimony whereof w-e sign this specification in the presence of twofwitnesses.

RALPH WILCOX. RANSFORD WILCOX.

Witnesses:

J AMns MEYMoRE, FRANK MEYMORE. 

